Firefighters from two counties battled a stubborn brush fire on Pisgah Mountain for several hours Saturday.

Units were dispatched to the area of 161 Owl Creek Road after 1 p.m. for a report of a brush fire.Arriving on scene, firefighters encountered the blaze on a mountainside to the rear of residences along Owl Creek Road and reaching toward the mountaintop.Firefighters accessed the area from an unpaved lane running perpendicular to Owl Creek Road.In addition to ground units, a helicopter from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources was dispatched to battle the fire from above.According to Jim Connely, Tamaqua Fire Department duty chief, the fire impacted the land of David Kranch.The fire call was made by Kranch's brother Chris."It affected four to five acres," said Connely.In addition to the Tamaqua Fire Department, units were summoned from Walker and West Penn townships and Summit Hill.Most of the blaze had been knocked down by 4 p.m."They're mopping up now, putting out some hot spots," said Connely."The cause is under investigation," said Wes Harner, DCNR representative of the Weiser District State Forest, Aristes.The fire's location was near the general area of the massive Springdale Pit, which runs from Tamaqua to Summit Hill.One local resident noted that forest fires are particularly worrisome in the coal regions due to the presence of exposed coal seams that potentially can ignite and spread fire underground.Pisgah Mountain is part of the 12.5-mile Pisgah Ridge spanning the area between the river gap in Tamaqua and the river gap in Jim Thorpe.Pisgah Mountain forms the backbone of Tamaqua's east end, rising above Mountain Avenue, and also serves as the backyard to of homes in the Owl Creek section.According to topological maps, the ridge includes a succession of peaks with elevation of 1,440 feet and rising 300-540 feet above the towns of Lansford, Coaldale, Summit Hill, and Tamaqua in the Panther Creek valley.